NRF Call for Funding

Foundational Biodiversity INFORMATION PROGRAMME (FBIP)

Small Research Grants 2017

Proposals for small, strategic projects that address critical gaps relevant to foundational biodiversity information and knowledge are invited.

(Please direct all queries to Robyn Udemans, , el 021650 1924)

UCT’s internal closing date: Tuesday, 30 May 2017 at 09h00

Background

The primary focus of the Programme is to fund the generation, mobilization and integration of priority foundational biodiversity knowledge and information, so that this can be managed, secured and disseminated to address the needs of society, the Department of Science & Technology (DST) Global Change Programme and the bio-economy.

Small Grantsaremanaged through the NRF to address key strategic gaps in information and knowledge. A call will be distributed annually and projects will be funded for one year only. Depending on funding cycles and availability, two year grants may also be made but this will be specified in the call.

General Eligibility Criteria

UCT researchers are eligible to apply as the principal investigator, provided that they are:

Permanent UCT employees

OR

On contract at UCT, but on condition that their appointment at UCT is for (at least) the duration of the project applied for in the submission. The length of the contract should be stated in the application form. Salaries must be paid by UCT and the primary employment of the individual concerned must be at UCT.

OR

Retired academics / researchers provided that institutional support is evident in the form of an employment contract, office space, administrative support, access to research equipment and space. A minimum of six months must be spent at UCT for the purpose of research and research capacity development. The researchers must have a research publication track record and must be actively supervising postgraduate students at present.

Further eligibility criteria for Small Grants are:

  • Projects must identify specific users of the knowledge generated / information co-ordinated and must indicate how the data will be made accessible.
  • Proposals must indicate how the project will impact on understanding and mitigation of global change and / or the bio-economy.
  • The data generated or mobilized through the grant must be provided to the FBIP / SANBI in an appropriate format at the end of the project. This is to ensure that the data can be archived, integrated and made accessible for a range of applications and products.
  • Data must be made available no later than 18 months after the date of signing of the Conditions of Grant Agreement for small grants, or 30 months after signing for two-year surveys.
  • Grant holders who have not submitted data within the specified timeframe from their previous projects are NOT eligible to receive further funding from the FBIP until the data have been submitted.
  • Projects must:
  • generate or mobilize primary biodiversity data sets (species occurrence or specimen data) and / or
  • contribute to the compilation of species pages for the EOL, and / or
  • produce DNA barcodes for species, and / or
  • resolve taxonomic problems to unlock knowledge critical to other projects related to the bioeconomy or global change.

Funding

  • for the small strategic grants, the amount of funding and the number of grants disbursed will depend on the number of applications submitted and the amount allocated to this part of the Programme by the FBIP Steering Committee; and
  • The funding will range from R50,000 – R200,000 per annum.

Funding criteria

Small grants will called for on an annual basis. The criteria are:

  • The strategic value of the data or knowledge that will be generated / made accessible through the grant must be clearly explained and motivated (what will change because the knowledge is generated / data made available?).
  • The project must align with and contribute to the objective/s and target/s of at least one of the following national strategies: The Bioeconomy Strategy of the Department of Science and Technology (2013); Biodiversity Economy Strategy (BES) for the Department of Environmental Affairs (2015); or South Africa’s 2nd National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2015-2025.
  • The data / knowledge should be clearly and directly linked to the main focus of the Programme (bio-economy or global change), but it may fall outside of the five focus areas listed above under large, integrated team projects.
  • Grants can be used for taxonomic research, mobilisation of primary data (specimen records), generation of DNA barcodes, compiling species information or for data management / dissemination innovations.
  • The grants must result in the release of the data to the FBIP / SANBI for archiving, integration, management and dissemination.

Note:

  • The FBIP is funded through the DST and is required to report on the outputs from funding allocations. This means that in addition to the standard NRF reports, grantholders will be expected to provide details of outputs, email updates and additional reports to the FBIP management team.
  • It is critical for the continuation of the FBIP that grant recipients deliver the outputs specified in their proposals and that this is done within the proposed timeframes.
  • Potential applicants are therefore advised to carefully consider the outputs and the timeframes for their project, and to be as accurate as possible in their proposal.

APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

Applications must be submitted through an online application process, via

  • Register / Login using your ID number and password;
  • Select ‘create new application’ from the list of existing calls;
  • Select ‘Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme (FBIP) – Small Grants 2017’
  • Complete application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

Complete applications will go to the UCT Research Office for verification, and will be endorsed and forwarded to the NRF. Please submit your applications no later than 09h00 on Tuesday, 30 May 2017. Any applications received after the internal deadline may not be internally reviewed.

The NRF system closes on Wednesday 7 June at 23:59, and no application can be submitted after this point.

It is of utmost importance that you consult the Call Guide for more information:

(click on the + sign next to the ‘Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme (FBIP) – Small Grants 2017’” under Open Calls section)